Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Whilst pizza classics like supreme and meat lovers will always hold a place in my heart, lately I’ve been more interested in more unusual flavour combinations. With pizza flavours like pulled pork, tandoori chicken and peking duck becoming more mainstream, it seems like any dish can (and will) be recreated on a pizza these days!

So when I was invited to attend Crust Pizza’s event to sample their new Simply Better range, with three new exciting flavours, I was quite keen to attend! And what better way to sample good food than relaxing by the beach with live music?

Decked out with candles, flowers and nice comfy cushions, it certainly made for a great atmosphere although if there was one thing I was wishing for, it’d be for better lighting!

Crust pizza is always working to reimagine pizza and set new pizza trends and their latest work has seen them introduce the Simply Better range to their menu- an innovative range for the health conscious pizza lovers. All Simply Better pizzas are made on a spelt and wholemeal base and made from locally sourced fresh produce, including paddock to plate lamb and beef.

The first of the pizzas to be sampled is the Biltong Spiced Lamb, but before the pizza is brought out, we try the lamb itself. The lamb is sourced from Australian pastures- it is nice and tender, and remarkably fresh. The biltong spice was quite unique in taste but paired nicely with the lamb without overpowering it. I have yet to try biltong (a spiced cured meat, similar to jerky) myself, but if it tastes anything like this lamb, I’m sure I’d love it!

The Biltong Spiced Pizza is even tastier than the lamb itself, with plenty of lamb, topped with broccolini, pine nuts, lime and a drizzle of lemon yoghurt. There is a nice textural contrast, with the broccolini baked til crisp (almost like kale chips!) and the pine nuts adding an extra crunch.

The Harissa Hummus Chicken pizza is next to follow, again with a sample of the house cooked spiced chicken first. And don’t let the (blurry) photo fool you- the roasted chicken is much more flavoursome than it may appear!

The Harissa Hummus Chicken pizza itself is quite an innovative pizza, with a harissa hummus base instead of the usual tomato. There’s a lot more happening in this pizza, with spiced chicken, chickpeas roasted capsicum, caramelised onion and almond slivers toppings as well as a garnish of rocket and mint yoghurt. The harissa hummus base works surprisingly well and we don’t find ourselves missing the sweetness of tomato sauce at all. I also love the generous amount of rocket which adds quite a bit of freshness.

And last but not least, the Wagyu Shōga pizza. This Asian inspired pizza uses a hoisin and tomato base, which makes for a sweeter pizza in comparison to the previous two. The wagyu beef is the main focus of the pizza, meltingly tender without the chewiness you usually get in beef pizzas. The beef is complemented with wild mushrooms, green capsicum, ginger (shōga) and a light Japanese dressing.

We’re quite impressed with the Simply Better Range- and still can’t decide which one’s our favourite because they’re all delicious and unique in their own way!

The Simply Better Range is available at all Crust outlets and pizzas are priced at $21 for large.

Our facebook group “selfless” is spending this month spreading awareness on prostate cancer & research with a custom t-shirt design. Purchase proceeds will go to cancer.org, as listed on the shirt and shirt design.